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February 2006 Celebrations: Black History Month, Valentine's Day, Brotherhood/Sisterhood Week, President's Day

Vasanta Panchami - February 2, 2006 - Hinduism - A North Indian celebration, Vasanta Panchami is associated with Saraswati, the goddess of Learning and with Lakshmi, goddess of Wealth.

Imbolc - February 2, 2006 - Wicca - Imbolc (also called Imbolg, Candlemas, Brigantia, The Feast of the Waxing Light, and Oimelc) celebrates the increasing strength of the God, given as the first and greatest gift of the Goddess. Many Wiccans honor the Goddess at this time as the source of fire, poetry, arts, crafts, agriculture and smith craft. It is a time for reflection upon the generative power of the gods, from which will come the later material and spiritual harvests.

Groundhog Day - February 2, 2006 - USA - is based on the festival known as Candlemas. This celebration represents the end of the Christmas cycle (forty days after Christmas) and marks the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. Formerly, Candlemas honored the Purification of Mary after the birth of Christ. In Europe, Candlemas was combined with ancient pagan candlelighting ceremonies intended to rejuvenate the fields before planting crops. This custom was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Dutch (German settlers) who believed that all hibernating animals come out to check on the weather. If the animal saw its shadow, then six weeks of bad weather would follow and the animal could go back to sleep. However, a cloudy day meant that spring was coming soon and the weather until then would be moderate.

Setsunbun-sai - February 3, 2006 - Shinto - Popularly known as the Bean-throwing Festival, Setsunbun-sai marks the end of winter and the eve of the first day of spring according to the ancient East Asian solar calendar familiar to Japanese. Beans are thrown into each room of the house, and then through the outer doors, with the shout, "Devils out, Fortune in!" Today, Setsunbun-sai is a happy family festival.

Waitangi Day - February 6, 2006 - New Zealand - Commemorates the signing of a treaty at Waitangi on February 6, 1840, by a group of Maori chiefs and the British
government.

Chinese Valentine’s Day- February 7, 2006- Chinese -  People go to the temple of MatchMaker and pray for love. Also on this day, The Daughter’s Festival

Mulk - February 7, 2006 - Bahá'í - Mulk (Dominion) marks the 18th month of the Bahá'í year.

Seollal - February 9, 2006 - Korean - Lunar New Year's Day. This is the largest event of the year, celebrated on the first full-moon by eating a five-grain meal and praying for a bountiful harvest. An ancestral service is offered before the grave of the ancestors, and New Year's greetings are exchanged with family, relatives and neighbors.

Losar - February 9, 2006 - Tibet - The Tibetan New Year is called Losar and is celebrated for three days by visiting, feasting and relaxation of the monastic discipline.

Ashura - February 9, 2006 -Islam- 'Ashura' commemorates the martyrdom of Husain (Prophet Muhammad's grandson) in AH 61 (680 CE). Shi'ite Muslims celebrate (calling the festival Muharram) for ten days from the first of Muharram. 'Ashura' is also associated with the safe landing of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat.

Tu B'Shevat - February 13, 2006 - Judaism - One of four New Year's days, Tu B'Shevat (the 15th day of the month of Shevat) is the New Year's Day for Trees, and traditionally the first of the year for tithing fruit of trees. Nowadays, it is a day for environmental awareness and action such as tree planting. Special celebratory meals (Seders) include earing the seven fruits of the land (wheat and barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and [date] honey), each of which symbolizes a spiritual reality.

Valentine's Day - February 14, 2006 - International - The traditional day on which lovers in certain cultures let each other know about their love, commonly by sending Valentine's cards.

Random Acts of Kindness Day February 17, 2006 - International - Celebrates selfless acts performed by kind people to either help or cheer up a random stranger, for no reason other than to make people happier.

Abu Simbel Festival - February 19, 2006 -Egypt- Built by Ramses II, his temple is angled so that the inner sanctum lights up twice a year: once on the anniversary of his rise to the throne and once on his birthday.

President's Day - February 20, 2006 -USA - A holiday held to honor former presidents of the United States; celebrated on the third Monday of February.

Lantern Festival February 24, 2006 - China, Taiwan - Marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Mahashivratri - February 26, 2006 -Hinduism - Mahashivaratri is dedicated to Shiva, one of the major deities to whom Hindus direct their devotion. The night before the feast, Hindus recite texts, sing songs, and tell stories in honor of this God whose dynamic cosmic dance creates, preserves, destroys, and recreates the world.

Carnival - February 27, 2006 - Dominican Republic - Celebration of independence and Passover. Also celebrated is Dia de la Altagracia, or the day of the Virgin of the High Grace.

Kalevala Day - February 28, 2006 - Finland - Elias Lonnrot, a country doctor, folklorist and philologist compiled the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic, in 1835. This day is observed countrywide with lectures, parades and recitations to honor him.

Mardi-Gras - February 28, 2006 - USA - or fat Tuesday is a boisterous celebration held annually on Shrove Tuesday, the day before the season of Lent begins in the Western Christian liturgical calendar. The actual date varies from year to year since it depends on the date of Easter.Mardi Gras is the culmination of a long carnival season which begins on January 6, the Twelfth Night of Christmas. The custom was brought to the United States by the French who had paraded a fat ox through Paris. The honor of the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States belongs to Mobile, Alabama which first observed the holiday in 1703.